Trapped by Floods, Mexican Bakers Make Hundreds of Loaves of Bread For Harvey Victims

Trapped by a deluge of floodwater without any options, four Mexican bakers spent two full daysusing thousands of pounds of flour to bake hundreds of loaves of pan dulce, sweet bread, to donate to survivors of the monster storm, Hurricane Harvey.

El Bolillo Bakery on South Wayside Drive in Houston, Texas, unofficially hosted the spontaneous baking marathon undertaken by four of its industrious — not to mention, compassionate and organized — workers, who used around 2,000 kilograms (roughly 4,409 pounds) of flour during the operation.

Three of the four bakers who were trapped inside the El Bolillo Bakery for two days because of the floods in Houston and made hundreds of loaves for flood victims. (El Bolillo Bakery)

“When they realised they were stuck, they decided to keep themselves busy and help the community and made as many loaves of bread as they could,” Brian Alvarado, manager of El Bolillo, told The Independent. “By the time the owner managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that we took the loaves to loads of emergency centres across the city for people affected by the floods.”

He added, “We didn’t count exactly how many loaves they made, but they used 4,400 pounds of flour.”

According to The Independent, the workers had the misfortune of the last night shift as Harvey screamed into Houston, leaving roads outside unpassable by the time their late shift drew to a close.

With floodwaters flowing readily through the streets — but the bakery still high and dry, with electricity flowing — the bakers opted to quell fears about friends and family they couldn’t contact by using available supplies to bake bread until they could safely leave.

That, they discovered, would take all weekend.

Finally able to return home and assess damage, just one of bakers found water had crept into his property, Alvarado noted, the others’ homes escaped harm.

Once word of the impromptu bake-a-thon for flood victims hit social media, the Mexican baker “heroes” instantaneously garnered praise and support for such a “heartwarming” gesture and“great community service,” and have been hailed an inspiration for charitable giving during adversity.

Of course, countless anecdotal tales of communities coming together to assist those hit hardest by the hurricane and flooding continue to warm social media, and many restaurants and services still functioning and with power have worked around the clock to keep people fed and safe.

Indeed, as the flood waters slowly recede to reveal the extent of the catastrophe around Houston and smaller cities, the tales of giving selflessly like that of the El Bolillo bakers will hopefully echo longer than memories of the decimation ever could.